At three o’clock in the afternoon, Li Banfeng woke up groggy and suddenly heard someone calling by his ear.
"Lone smoke rises over the desert, the long river sets with a round sun!"
"What round?" Li Banfeng opened his eyes to see the Tang Sword standing in front of him.
Li Banfeng was stunned for a while, but then heard the Tang Sword slowly say, "The time for the decisive battle has come." Li Banfeng had agreed with the Tang Sword last night that today was the day for their decisive battle.
Flames flared in the Phonograph’s fuel tank, and as Steam spouted, a song emerged, "My lord, this Little Servant told you this sword should not be kept."
The Tang Sword turned towards the Phonograph, seeming somewhat wary. "This is a fair fight, one on one. Outsiders should not interfere."
HISS...
The Phonograph scoffed, "You’re talking to me, a married woman, about so many rules?"
The Tang Sword stepped back two paces and said to Li Banfeng, "If you outnumber me, even if I am defeated, I will never concede willingly."
WHOOSH!
Steam spouted.
The Phonograph sang slowly, "Who says it’s outnumbering? He doesn’t need to lift a finger; I can scatter your soul right now."
"Are you saying, saying..."
As the Tang Sword searched for an excuse, Li Banfeng got up, drank some water from a bucket, and stretched his limbs. Then he said to the Phonograph, "My dear, I have a prior agreement with him. Today is a one-on-one duel; I can’t go back on my word."
"My lord, this is no joking matter. With the slightest carelessness, this fellow could really take your life."
"You need not worry, my dear. I am confident I can defeat him."
The Tang Sword called out, "Those are the words of a true hero! Where shall we fight? Shall we go outside, or settle it right here?"
Li Banfeng looked around. "If we fight here, I’m afraid we’ll wreck my belongings."
The Phonograph reminded him, "My lord, once you step out of this door, I can’t protect you!"
The Tang Sword also wanted to take the fight outside, as he feared the Phonograph’s interference but could not say so outright.
After pondering for a moment, Li Banfeng said, "Let’s go to the Third Room!"
The Phonograph was taken aback. "The Third Room?"
"Just the third chamber I opened. Nothing more to it," Li Banfeng explained. He had started calling the newly cleared space the "Third Room."
The Tang Sword agreed, pleased to keep some distance from the Phonograph. "Aren’t you going to bring a Weapon? I don’t kill unarmed men."
Li Banfeng casually picked up two daggers from the ground. These daggers were common Weapons of Jiang Xiang Gang members, crudely made from poor materials.
The Tang Sword was dissatisfied with these daggers. "To fight me with such coarse Weapons, you look down on me too much."
Li Banfeng sneered, "We’ll see after we fight."
The two entered the Third Room. It had been cleared out recently, was about the same size as the main room, and quite spacious. Li Banfeng and the Tang Sword each took a position against a wall.
CLANG! The Tang Sword was drawn, its cold glint shining on Li Banfeng’s face. "You make the first move. I’ll give you three exchanges!"
Li Banfeng took out a Rust Pill from his pocket.
The Tang Sword sneered, "Thinking of taking an Elixir only now? I’m afraid it’s too late."
Li Banfeng placed the Rust Pill on one of the daggers. In no time, the ten-plus-centimeter-long dagger turned into a pile of rust.
The Tang Sword was shocked and paced back and forth by the wall. "Such a potent Elixir! You plan to use it against me? Let me tell you, you might not be able to harm me; you might not even be able to touch me!"
Li Banfeng tossed the other dagger into the air and threw the Rust Pill at it, hitting the blade squarely.
The dagger fell to the ground, covered in rust spots.
The Tang Sword became slightly flustered, not having expected Li Banfeng’s aim to be so precise, but then he noticed the Rust Pill had fallen to the floor.
"A hero faces danger without fear; a true man would rather break than bend! You think you can scare me with such petty tricks?" Having declared this, the Tang Sword positioned itself in the middle of the room, cutting off Li Banfeng’s path to the Rust Pill.
Li Banfeng had already used the Rust Pill, and the Tang Sword would not allow him to pick it up again.
Li Banfeng then took out another Rust Pill from his pocket and said coldly to the Tang Sword, "You’ve really got some nerve."
The Tang Sword retreated to the wall, the blade trembling subtly twice.
"Make yourself clear. Do you really mean to let me strike first?" They were less than five meters apart; Li Banfeng could throw the Elixir at any moment.
CLANG!
"Successful deeds are presented to the enlightened ruler; portraits are painted on the Qilin Terrace! Your humble servant has drifted all his life and finally found an enlightened master. I am willing to serve you faithfully." The Tang Sword sheathed itself and then lay prostrate on the ground.
HISS...
The Phonograph in the main room hissed with laughter, showing its contempt for the Tang Sword.
Li Banfeng asked the Tang Sword, "What’s your name?"
"Your humble servant has no name. My lord may call me as he pleases." The Tang Sword remained prostrate on the ground.
HISS...
The Phonograph grew cautious.
Li Banfeng said to the Tang Sword, "Being nameless isn’t proper. You are a Magical Treasure and should have a resonant name. I’ll give you one!"
"A name granted by my lord is your humble servant’s greatest honor!"
After careful consideration, Li Banfeng declared, "From now on, you shall be called Two Blades!"
The Tang Sword, finding the name unrefined, rose slightly and asked, "Why not Big Blade?"
Li Banfeng took out the Sickle. "He followed me first. He’s Big Blade."
The Tang Sword was not fully convinced but did not argue further.
Li Banfeng hung the Tang Sword on his belt, feeling a bit ostentatious, but the sword was too long to be placed anywhere else appropriately.
Li Banfeng had just sighed when the Tang Sword suddenly shrank, turning into a dagger less than ten centimeters long.
Truly a fine Magical Treasure, capable of changing size and understanding Li Banfeng’s intentions.
Li Banfeng pocketed the fine blade and returned to the main room, where a cloud of Steam enveloped him, caressing him back and forth.
Li Banfeng was taken aback. "My dear, what are you trying to do?"
The Phonograph sang softly, "My lord returns triumphant; your Little Servant celebrates for you."
"Stop celebrating. I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold back," Li Banfeng said.
The Steam dissipated, but the record continued to spin on its tray.
「...」
At dusk, Li Banfeng stepped out of the Portable Residence and into Qin Xiaopang’s yard, just as Little Fatty was hanging clothes to dry.
"Brother Seven, what brings you here?" Little Fatty was delighted and quickly invited Li Banfeng into the house.
"Brother Seven, have you heard? The Helm Master of the Medicine King Hall’s Second Helmsman of the Jiang Xiang Gang has disappeared! He vanished right inside the helm platform, and over a dozen people with him have also vanished—no trace of them, dead or alive!"
"Is that so? If this happened, wouldn’t the Jiang Xiang Gang be greatly weakened?" Li Banfeng, influenced by the Tang Sword, had trouble reverting his tone of speech.
Little Fatty scratched his head. "Brother Seven, why are you speaking so formally? The Jiang Xiang Gang is definitely hurt. Not just the Helm Master is gone; the Sage of the Second Helmsman, Zhong Desong, is also missing. You remember him, right, Brother Seven? He was just at the Steamed Bun shop last night for a meal."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "I don’t really remember him. With such a major incident in the Jiang Xiang Gang, they must be searching everywhere for the culprit, right?"
Little Fatty shook his head. "I haven’t heard anything about that. Xiang Guicheng directly became the Leader of the Second Helmsman, and I haven’t seen him go out searching for any culprit. He did ask Brother Liu a few questions today, but Brother Liu ignored him."
Li Banfeng had blown up the Xianle Dance Hall, and the Jiang Xiang Gang had handled it discreetly. The thought made Li Banfeng feel the situation was becoming increasingly delicate.
「...」
At ten o’clock at night, Li Banfeng took a walk around Waigou, then returned to Li Gou, approaching Feng’s Grocery Store. A rack of phonograph records was placed in front of the store. This was the agreed-upon method of communication between Shopkeeper Feng and Li Banfeng; seeing the record rack meant Shopkeeper Feng had new information.
Li Banfeng was eager to return to Yuezhou as soon as possible, but he had not yet gathered the 20,000,000 needed, mainly because the battle at the helm platform had yielded limited spoils.
Only after entering the grocery store did he learn that there was still no news about the Guide Token, but the Red Pill had been sold. Shopkeeper Feng had made a good sale, letting it go for 200,000. He took a twenty percent commission and gave Li Banfeng 160,000.
Li Banfeng was very pleased and left five Mysterious Flame Pills with Shopkeeper Feng for consignment. The 20,000,000 target seemed not so distant anymore.
Paifang Street was devoid of pedestrians tonight. With the Jiang Xiang Gang’s consecutive incidents, people from Li Gou were afraid to go out at night. Li Banfeng wanted to buy a newspaper and had to walk a good distance before finding a newsboy.
The evening paper’s headlines were all about the attack on the Jiang Xiang Gang’s helm platform, stating clearly that the Helm Master and the Sage were missing, their whereabouts unknown. An attack on the helm platform was a serious matter, but logically, the news shouldn’t have spread so quickly. This differed from the Xianle Dance Hall incident. Back then, Li Banfeng had used explosives, which had startled all of Li Gou. When Li Banfeng attacked the helm platform, he used tea. If the Jiang Xiang Gang wanted to keep it under wraps, they could have prevented the news from leaking.
Li Banfeng glanced at Page Two and saw another piece of news: the Lu Family had successfully cleared new land on Jiangyue Mountain, monopolizing over two hundred acres. In the photo, Li Banfeng saw the Lu Family Head, Lu Dongliang, as well as a familiar face.
Li Banfeng’s heart chilled. He pocketed the newspaper and decided to go to the He Family Old House to gather some information.
As he walked into the String of Alleyways, Li Banfeng suddenly heard a familiar voice in the distance.
"Butler Qiu, let me explain once more, we don’t know if she’s Miss Lu from the Lu Family. We’ve never seen her," a distinctive voice said.
Realizing the situation was dire, Li Banfeng quickly took out his key and entered the Portable Residence.
Xiao Yeci, Lu Chunying, and the Lu Family’s head butler, Qiu Zhiheng, walked into the alley. Xiao Yeci reiterated, "We really haven’t seen Miss Lu. If we’ve mistaken someone else for her, please don’t take offense."
Qiu Zhiheng smiled slightly. "Lady, Miss, no need to worry. I just came to have a look."
After the trio walked away, Li Banfeng silently stepped out of the Portable Residence. In the darkness of night, he could barely make out their three figures.